Craftsman Style

image from Trulia Seattle Real Estate

So I have been searching high and low for inspiration for the exterior portion of our remodel. It's true that we are not quite done with the inside yet, but I CAN NOT TAKE IT ANYMORE!

When I pulled up to the house last week after being away for a few days, I knew I had reached the end of my rope. Something had to be done with the outside of the house, or I was going to have to permanently attach a blindfold to my face.

So........we started digging. We have always thought we would get rid of the old rock wall, but the thousands of dollars we could save by keeping it, are making that old wall look better and better.

image Yellow Dog Design

We have settled on a Craftsman/Cottage/Cape Cod look for the outside. And as it turns out, lots of Craftsman homes have rock walls that look just like ours!

image found here

Image Yellow Dog Design

Is it just my imagination, or does it look better already?

image source unknown

We also have a red brick path similar to this one......

image Yellow Dog Design

sort of.....

I really like this paint color.

I found this amazing Craftsman on two different sites.

this one here....

and here.....

more brick, found here

even better brick, here

I found this cute yellow cottage here.

Columns are going to be the next thorn in my side......

Stay tuned.

Furniture

Furniture

Kitchen For Sale

Sometimes when an opportunity arises, you just have to take it. That's the conclusion we made last year when we decided to buy the house across the street, even though we were right smack in the middle of our own huge remodel. The chance to re-do something so close to home was just too big a temptation, even though it has meant camping out in our own partially finished home for the past 5 months.

I have talked about the home in previous posts, but today I wanted to share more of the kitchen. The previous owner, Bill, was a total nut. (I mean that with complete respect). He wore the same gray sweatsuit every day, used an inner-tube as a belt, and had crazy mad-scientist white hair sticking out everywhere. You can totally picture it, can't you?

Anyway, Bill had been a widower for more than a decade, and was way past the point of trying to update his home. The kitchen was like a 1960's museum. Gold worn-out linoleum, avocado appliances, and flat beech cabinets. The space is not large, so good space planning was important. We moved the refrigerator to the opposite wall to open up the entrance. We also swapped double wall ovens for a modern convection oven/stove combo to make better use of the space. We wanted to decor to be stylish, yet accessible, since the home was being redone for resale. We added storage with a built-in pantry/hutch. Painted beadboard serves as the backsplash, and open shelving, granite countertops, and stainless steel make it modern.

P.S. If you know someone that needs a house send them over immediately!!!!!